What Are You Willing To Do?

An awkward pause often precedes my response to the question “So, what do you do?” Describing in plain language what we do to address health disparities and reduce the high burden of preventable disease and premature death experienced by communities of color and other population groups is rarely a quick response.

Helping people understand why these disparities persist, sharing effective public health approaches for reducing this burden, and showing how what we do in CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) ultimately impacts health outcomes in communities is often challenging and never achieved in the time it takes an elevator door to close.

Dr. Leandris Liburd is the Director of the CDC’s Office of Minority Health, serving as the agency lead in coordinating CDC engagement with HHS, other federal agencies, national organizations, and the public on issues of health equity to improve minority health. Dr. Liburd is a respected health care leader with many years of experience addressing community health, health disparities, and social determinants of health.